One in three motorists in Northern Ireland is unable to see properly while driving, shocking new research has revealed.

The news has sparked a nationwide campaign calling for compulsory eye tests for all UK drivers.

The research, which surveyed 2,000 drivers across the UK, was commissioned by vision specialist Ultralase with the support of road safety charity Brake.

It reveals that almost a quarter of Northern Ireland residents won’t have taken an eye test in the past two years, if at all, to determine whether their vision is good enough for driving. And among those who need visual aids, one in three motorists admit to taking at least five journeys a week without glasses or lenses.

Driving at night, distance vision and reading road signs are common problems among millions of drivers and for one in five UK motorists poor vision has led to at least one driving related incident, such as damaging their vehicle or a more serious crash.